❤ 巴黎中国城 ♡ Chinese Quarter of Paris ❤

图片来源：Google Map Street View
Photo from Google Map Street View

图片来源：Google Map Street View
Photo from Google Map Street View

图片来源：Google Map Street View
Photo from Google Map Street View

图片来源：Google Map Street View
Photo from Google Map Street View

猜到这些照片中是什么地方吗？？
北京？？广东？？上海？？还是哪里一个中国大陆城镇？？
答案是巴黎。

在世界各地的大小城市，总有唐人街或中国城的踪影；
当然身为欧洲文化大熔炉的巴黎也不例外啦。

中国城位于巴黎13区；
不但是巴黎数个中国城或唐人街当中最大的一个，而且也甲冠欧洲各唐人街和中国城。
囊括Avenue d'Ivry、Avenue de Choisy、Porte d'Ivry和近郊；
人口当中华裔占多数，其余的则是东南亚人(越南人、寮国人等等)。
身处中国城，可以体验到不一样的巴黎--商店招牌上显眼的方块字、中国餐馆林立、为华侨而设的学校和教堂、普通话和粤语此起彼落....
此外还有蛮多家泰国餐厅和越南餐厅、甚至还有一家有马来西亚美食的餐厅，有爽到~~

Look @ these few pic, would u guess where 're these places??
Beijing?? Canton?? Shanghai?? Or any other towns or cities in China??
The answer is in Paris.

We can alwayz find Chinatowns in the major cities all around the world;
Of coz it won't be an exception in Paris, 1 of the most multi-cultural city in Europe.

Chinese Quarter or Chinese District, located in 13th arrondissement of Paris is not only the biggest of several Chinatowns in Paris, but also the biggest in Europe.
Consists of Avenue d'Ivry, Avenue de Choisy, Porte d'Ivry & its' surrounding with population of Chinese & some Southeast Asians (Vietnamese, Laotian etc).
Here you can get a view which is different with other districts in Paris - Surrounded by shops with signboards in eye-catching Chinese writings, Chinese restaurants, Church & school for Chinese community, everyone 're speaking Mandarin & Cantonese....
Beside there 're also a considerable number of Thai & Vietnamese restaurants, & even 1 restaurant which serves Malaysian cuisine, whoaaah best-nya~~

图片来源：Google Map Street View
Photo from Google Map Street View

因为我佬如果不吃到他最爱的越南牛肉汤粉是不甘愿的，所以我们的午餐就在越南餐厅Phở Hòa Pasteur Saigon解决。
喝鸟自从离开老家就没有机会喝到的豆浆，我最爱的饮料之一；
有些稀释，但还是很好喝，令人怀念的味道~~

午餐后我佬带我到他儿时曾居住过的地方去看看，就在Avenue d'Ivry的某个公寓社区。
而当我发现到隔壁的Galerie Olympiades时，人类(包括我佬在内)已经阻止不鸟我沸腾的购物狂之热血....
但也让我在里面一家中国女士开的鞋店扫到一双黑色马丁靴和白色裤袜~~

接着就到法国最大的亚洲连锁商场--陈氏商场去扫货。
商场的入口外，有一个大摊位在卖月饼，人头涌涌的；
想想看，再过几天就是中秋节嘛~~
而商场内的人潮也不见得比较少，毕竟在这里可以买到价格相宜的中国食品和食材~~
我买鸟几包补品的汤料，像是八珍、润肺雪耳汤等等；
而我佬一口气买下两箱即食汤面和一包腌牛肉干。

临走之前，到月饼摊位，最后选鸟一盒4粒的迷你莲蓉单黄月饼；
还免费附送4种不同口味的中国茶叶包~~

步行到地铁的路上，还可以看到许多摊贩在路边摆卖画作、纪念品、装饰品和老翻DVD。

虽然中国城并不像巴黎其它一些地区那样高档、时尚；
对于想在巴黎寻找一抹东方异国风情画、喜爱亚洲美食以及喜爱下厨想为亚洲料理添加新口味的人们来说，却是不可多得的一个好地方~~

到巴黎中国城的交通指南：
地铁(Métro)：7号线(Porte d'Ivry, Porte de Choisy)
路面电车(Tram)：T3a (Porte d'Ivry, Porte de Choisy)
巴士：PC 2 (Porte d'Ivry)、27 (Porte d'Ivry)、64 (Choisy-Tolbiac)、83 (Porte d'Ivry)

B'coz darling was craving for his favorite Vietnamese Phở (soup noodle), we had our lunch in a Vietnamese restaurant, Phở Hòa Pasteur Saigon.
I have drank 1 of my fav drink, the soy milk which missed for so long after I left my homeland;
Abit diluted, but still so tasty, how nostalgic~~

After lunch darling took me to have a look @ the place he stayed when he was kid, in an apartment neighborhood on Avenue d'Ivry;
When I discovered the Galerie Olympiades next to it, his effort to stop my boiling shopaholic blood didn't succeed.
There I bought a pair of black lace-up boots with 28 € & a pair of white leggings in a shoes shop owned by a Chinese lady.

Then we proceed to Tang Frères Supermarket, the biggest Asian supermarket chain in France.
There 're a large booth selling mooncake near the entrance of the supermarket, crowded as the Mid-Autumn Festival is around the corner.
It wasn't less crowded inside the supermarket, probably b'coz ppl can buy Chinese food & ingredients here with afforable price.
I bought few packs of Chinese herbal soup;
While darling bought 2 boxes of instant noodles & 1 pack preserved dried beef.

B4 we left, we went to the mooncake booth & finally bought a box of 4 mini mooncakes of eggyolk lotus .
We got 4 Chinese teabags of different tastes as free gift from the sellers. ^^

On the way to Métro, we can see many stall hawkers on the streets selling paintings, souvenirs, decorations & pirated DVD.

Although not as high-end or trendy as some other districts in Paris;
Chinese Quarter is a muz visit for those who desire an exotic oriental view in Paris, enthusiasts of Asian food & kitchen lovers who need ingredients for their Asian dishes.
(It is alwayz about food & eat, hehe~~)

How to get there:
Métro: Line 7 (Porte d'Ivry, Porte de Choisy)
Tram: T3a (Porte d'Ivry, Porte de Choisy)
Bus: PC 2 (Porte d'Ivry), 27 (Porte d'Ivry), 64 (Choisy-Tolbiac), 83 (Porte d'Ivry)

❤ 老佛爷百货公司 ♡ Galeries Lafayette ❤

连续几天，都陆续听到几位同学提起“到老佛爷百货公司血拼”；
貌似最近他们都热衷于此。
正巧我的黑色马丁靴不久前才瓜掉，要买一双新的又不想等淘宝从中国运过来；
又无法在巴黎以及法国网购网站找一双价格合理的马丁靴(只有短靴或踝靴)，于是就求助于台湾同学妮和Kiki带路。
再说，我也有手痒痒想买一件针织毛衣和保暖手套的说~~

当然临行前SMS向我佬报告我要去走街、会迟些回家；
我佬一听说我要去商场走街，当场怕到提醒我不要乱败金....

For few dayz I keep heard about "shopping in Galeries Lafayette" from some of my classmates who seems currently shopping there.
As my black lace-up boots was juz broken & I need to buy a new 1 instead of buying from Taobao & wait for the shipment from China;
& it 's so difficult to find lace-up boots (instead of low boots & ankle boots) in Paris & French shopping networks with affordable price, I asked help from my Taiwanese classmates Nie & Kiki to guide me there~~
Besides, I also wish to look for a knitted pull-over & pair of gloves for winter.

Of coz I SMS darling to inform him I 'll go window shopping & 'll be arrive home later than usual.
This worries him alot coz he knows my shopaholic nature thus he reminded me don't spend €€....

图片来源：Dreamstime

Photo from Dreamstime

来到老佛爷百货公司前，蛮多人潮的....
Kiki回家前，建议我不妨到隔壁的春天百货走走，人比较少、却可以找到一样的名店(不过我对名牌没有爱啦)。 

踏入老佛爷商场，先被它华贵气派的装潢给吸引；
精致的拜占庭式雕花穹顶和拱门设计更是美得让人窒息~~

We arrived in front Galeries Lafayette, quite crowded huh....
B4 Kiki left, he suggested me to take a look in Printemps next to it also coz it is alot less crowded & I still can find the same brands as in Galeries Lafayette (but I 'm not interested in brands).

Stepped into Galeries Lafayette, I was fascinated by the classy & grandeur interior.
It 's Neo-Byzantine dome & the balcony designs 're breathtakingly beautiful~~

图片来源：Dreamstime

Photo from Dreamstime

底层大厅的路易威登、珑骧、香奈儿等名牌专卖店都大排长龙；
还有美容用品、化妆品、香水和首饰专柜林立。
但反正我对名牌没有爱，就闪到楼上去找毛衣和手套；
也顺便到婚纱店和礼物精品部门走马看花一番~~
很多商品都令人心动，我个人就被一些设计和款式可爱的泳装和内在美给吸引住；
当然，如果不去看价格的话....
意识到自己不可能在这里买得起毛衣和手套；
我怀着“可能一些靴子的价格还在我的能力范围内”的一丝希望到底楼的鞋子部门。
绕鸟一圈，看到的全都是名牌、也看过价位后，希望破灭。

话虽如此，这里依然是无数尤其是亚洲游客热衷的血拼天堂；
在这里他们可以找到心头好--各大品牌的时尚穿着和奢侈品~~

当然，我空手而归也让我佬放下心头大石。
其实他与其担心我会败金败到超出预算；
倒不如先想想我到底有没有金可败和有没有要败的欲望(要对名牌和奢侈品有足够的爱才能够败)。
明显，我两者皆空~~

有能力败金对名品有爱的人的交通指南：
Galeries Lafayette 40 boulevard Haussmann 75009 Paris.
地铁(Métro)：7号线(Chaussée d'Antin - La Fayette)、9号线(Chaussée d'Antin - La Fayette)、3号线(Havre-Caumartin)、8号线(Opéra)
RER：A线(Auber)
巴士：22、42、53、66、68、81

The branded shops like LV, Longchamp, Chanel etc 're in the G floor of the building, with the long lines of customers;
Also the well-known beauty cares, cosmetics, perfumes & jewelries brands.
But since I have no luv in brands, I proceed to upper floors to look for pull-over & gloves.
Also I took a look in the bridal gown boutique, the gift & crafts department.
Many items 're very adorable;
I was quite attracted by some of the swimwears & inner wears, but definitely not their prices.
After realized that the prices of the pull-overs & gloves 're out of my budget area;
I went down to the shoes department in LG floor to look for boots, hopefully won't be too expensive.
But my hope was totally perished after I found all the shoes & boots 're branded & not to mention the prices....

However, I can see many tourists especially Asians 're attracted by this shopping spot.
It 's a place where ppl can find all their favorite brands of trendy fashion & luxury items under 1 roof~~

Of coz, darling was worry too much.
Indeed, b4 worrying how much €€ I would spend;
He shud consider if I have the €€ & the willing to spend (in another words, enough luv for brands & luxury items to spend such amount of €€).... XD
Obviously, I 'm lack in both~~

For those who hav €€ to spend luv for brands, here 're the ways to get there:
Galeries Lafayette 40 boulevard Haussmann 75009 Paris.
Métro: Line 7 (Chaussée d'Antin - La Fayette), Line 9 (Chaussée d'Antin - La Fayette), Line 3 (Havre-Caumartin), Line 8 (Opéra)
RER: A (Auber)
Bus: 22, 42, 53, 66, 68, 81

❤ 法式下午茶中远去的回忆 ♡ The Fading Memories in l'Heure du Thé ❤

在新加坡当空姐的印尼华侨友人Maria H因为工作的关系而在巴黎停留几天；
于是我们约定好这一天出来见面喝茶~~

因为我学校就在巴黎歌剧院附近，所以我们就约在那里见面再到位于Boulevard des Capucines的Hippopotamus喝茶~~
天气很好，所以我们选择露天咖啡座；
边享用法式甜品、边聊起这几年的生活~~

My friend Maria H, an Indonesian of Chinese origin who works as stewardess in Singapore is in a working trip in Paris for these few days;
So we decided to meet up~~

My school is located nearby Opéra de Paris so we met there & then proceed to Hippopotamus in Boulevard des Capucines for tea time~~
Since the weather was so good, we took the terrace seat;
Enjoying the French desserts & talked about the old days....

Maria H是印尼华侨，当年到马来西亚念书并兼职Event；
我和她是在某场赛车活动的同一支车队下工作而认识的。
可能因为同是天蝎座的关系，我们迅速成为无所不谈、十分有默契的好友；
每次一起去当外拍模豆、品尝美食。

后来我把事业中心转移到正职上，逐渐脱离Event行业；
而她毕业后到新加坡就职，我们也因此少了联络、几年没见面。

谈起当年当Freelancer和外拍模豆的时光，虽然相当地快乐；
但是光鲜的背后，接踵而来的是更多令人反胃的内幕....
各种原因，让我们自觉根本无法违背自己的原则生存在那个圈子；
而最终不约而同地远离并退出~~
而且我们对这个决定感到十分庆幸、庆幸自己已经不在那个肮脏的圈子内。

整个下午，我们就谈各自的前男友和现任男友、洋人男友和华人男友的差异、嘲讽那些摄影(色淫)师的‘杰作’、鸡婆那个推人入火坑的自称‘大马模界一姐’妈妈桑离婚的八卦、在飞机上的众生相和难搞的乘客、马来西亚的政局治安等等....
而她也透露有意在短期内辞去空姐的职位， 回到雅加达和家人男友一起生活；
就像我放弃在马来西亚的一切来到巴黎和我佬开始新生活一样~~
典型地属于女人的法式下午茶~~

后来我佬来到加入下午茶，不久后肚子就饿鸟....
就到我佬最喜欢的日本餐厅Aki去吃晚餐和大谈我佬到马来西亚旅游的经历~~

Maria H is an Indonesian Chinese who studied & worked as event freelancer in Malaysia few years back;
There we knew each others while working under the same racing team in a motorsport event.
Perhaps b'coz both of us 're Scorpions, we became close friends shortly;
Everytime we became models for photoshoots & having nice food together.

But then I started to focus on my full time job instead of part time freelances;
While she left for Singapore after graduated in Malaysia, which caused us lacked of connections & haven't met for few years.

When we spoke about our life as freelancers & photoshoot models, we agreed that we had fun times;
But behind the glamor life we disgusted by all the dark sides.
For variety of reasons we realized we 're not fit to survive in that industry;
& ended up we quit coincidentally.
Seriously, we 're proud of our decision, we 're so grateful for not struggling & go against our principles in order to survive in that contaminated industry anymore.

The whole afternoon, we spoke about our previous ex & present bf, the difference between White bf & Chinese bf, mocking at those shady & hamsap (only think about XXX) so-called photographers @ GWCs (guys with camera), gossip about the divorce of self-called 'Malaysian No. 1 Model' who is instead a pimp who cheats model-wannabe galz into prostitution, sharing the odd behaviors of passengers during the flights Maria H serves, politics & safety issues in Malaysia etc....
Maria H indicated that she intends to resign from her post, goes back to Jakarta & live with her family & bf;
Like how I gave up everything in Malaysia & started a new life with darling in Paris~~
Typical l'Heure du Thé for women~~

Later darling arrived & joined the tea session, & soon we felt hunger;
Thus we chose the favorite Japanese restaurant of darling, Aki for our dinner & where we spoke about darling 's trips in Malaysia.

 

吃饱后也是离别的时刻， 我们和Maria H就一路漫步在Avenue de l'Opéra、最后在Opéra Métro道别~~

高兴的，不只是因为和从前一样无所不谈、还因为我们在感情和事业上做出的取舍对我们来说或许已经是最好的选择吧~~
愿你也幸福，美丽的Maria H~~

After the dinner, we strolled along Avenue de l'Opéra with Maria H, & said goodbye to she in Opéra Métro~~
What makes me happy, isn't only b'coz we still talkative like once, but also b'coz we did what seems best for us in our relationship & career~~
Wish u a happiness life, beautiful Maria H~~

❤ 巴黎市立现代美术馆 ♡ Paris City Modern Art Museum ❤

今天学校举办文化出游--参观位于第16区、毗邻东京宫的巴黎市立现代美术馆~~
本来，东京宫也在我们的行程内的，不过好像有些什么活动而不开放予参观....所以没我们份。

Today my school has organized a cultural visit to Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (Paris City Modern Art Museum);
Which is located in 16th arrondissement, in the east wing of the Palais de Tokyo (The Tokyo Palace).
In the 1st place, Palais de Tokyo was also in our schedule but unfortunately it was closed due to some events.

我个人对现代艺术并不太有爱的....
不过美术馆内有好些作品还是让我感到有些小惊喜~~

Though I 'm not really into modern art;
I was able to discover some artworks I appreciate.

此外，Elle Decoration‘家具新秀设计’ 也在Dufy和Matisse展厅展出；
值得一看~~

Also, there is an exhibition in the salle of Dufy & Matisse, Elle Decoration 'Generation Design' Exhibition~~
Worth a look~~

参观结束后，从美术馆的后门离开；
却发现自己处于高低上的一个广场，和埃菲尔铁塔隔着塞纳河对望~~
在步行回到地铁站途中，导师向我们提起这广场的历史；
不过我的法语不灵光，只能有听没有懂。


After finished the visit, we went out from behind the gallery & found ourselves in a square on hill;
The Eiffel Tower is juz opposite the river, La Seine.
Our tutor was explaining to us the history of this square while we walked back to the Métro station;
But poorly my French isn't good enough to understand.

最后，在阿尔玛桥上的塞纳河景~~

A view of La Seine & La Tour Eiffel frm Pont de l'Alma~~

献给现代美术爱好者的交通指南：
地铁: Line 9 (Alma - Marceau)
RER: C (Pont de l'Alma)

How modern arts lovers getting there:
Métro: Line 9 (Alma - Marceau)
RER: C (Pont de l'Alma)